Apparatus for sensing tabulating cards and the like



Feb. 25,- 1947. J. w. HOOPER APPARATUS FOR SENSING TABULATING CARDS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 25, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 ENVENTOR JOHN W. HOOPER Fgb. 25, 1947. J. w. HOOPVERI APPARATUS FOR SENSING TABULATING CARDS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 25, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 R RM 00 MO m W N H O J ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1947.

J. W. HOOFER APPARATUS FOR SENSING TABULA'I'ING CARDS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 25, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORN EY Feb. 25,1947. J. w. HOOPER 2,416,625

APPARATUS FOR SENSING TABULATING CARDS AND THE LIKE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept, 23, 1942 INVENTOR JOHN W. HOOPER ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1947. J. w. HOOPER APPARATUS FOR SENSING TABULATING CARDS AND THE LIKE- Filed Sept. 25, 1942 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 'INV EN TOR. JOHN W. HOOFER nr v' ATTORN Patented Feb. 25, 1941 APPARATUS FOR SENSING TABULATING CARDS AND THE LIKE John W. Hooper, South Salem, N. Y., assignor to American Machine & Foundry Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application September 23, 1942, Serial No. 459,418

3 Claims.

This invention relates apparatus for sensing tabulating cards, more particularly to control devices for card-punching and card-sorting apparatus, and tabulating or accounting machines.

An object of the present invention is to provide an electrical control device which is sufficiently responsive to pencil marks on a card or other record to operate card-punching and card-sorting mechanisms, or the printing mechanism of accounting or tabuiating machines. There have been prior electrical control devices for this purpose which relied upon brushes or other instrumentaiities which contacted pencil marks or other el ctrically conductive indicia to operate the record-controlled mechanisms. However the contact required with the pencil marks tends to obliterate them, and a considerable percentage of inaccuracy, due to improper response to the pencil marks Or indicia, has been characteristic of the prior control devices.

With these and other objects in mind there is provided an electrical control device which responds without physical contact with the pencil marks to operate the controlling mechanism of the card-sorting Or card-punching apparatus. To this end there is provided a high frequency oscillatory electrical circuit connected to pick-up elements whose capacitative coupling is sufficiently varied by the proximity of pencil marks on a card to energize solenoids or other elements which set the card-punching or card-sorting mechanism, or the printing mechanism of the accounting machine, into operation.

The control device may be applied to other forms of record-controlled apparatus, and the constructions exemplified herein may be modified to suit the particular apparatus to which they may be applied.

In the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate the same or like parts:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the invention as embodied in a card punching apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a portion of the clutch mechanism thereof and the control for the micro switch;

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of one of the pick-up elements or condensers which senses the pencil marks on the record cards;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the punches;

Fig. 5 is a wiring diagram of the oscillator and amplifier circuits which is suitable for the card punching apparatus, the card sorting apparatus,

or the printing mechanism of the accounting machine;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a card-sorting apparatus exemplifying the invention; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional elevation showing somewhat diagrammatically the control mechanism for the printer mechanism of a tabulating or accounting machine embodying the invention.

Referring to Figs. 1-4, which illustrate one form of construction suitable for a card punching machine, the record card I has vertical columns of numerals running from 1 to 0; and certain numerals may have been marked with a penoil as depicted in Fig. 1. The record card I is advanced lengthwise; and the card 3 to be punched, which is of a size similar to card I and similarly printedwith vertical rows of numerals, is simultaneously advanced by mechanism which will now be described.

The pusher 5 carries a rack 1 whose teeth mesh with a gear 8 fastened on a shaft 9 one end of which is supported in a bearing I! (Fig. 2), which may be attached to the table I2, and a bearing (not shown) at the other'end thereof. The pusher 5 engages one end of the card, and the pusher I3 engages the corresponding end of the card 3 which is aligned with card I. Pusher l3 carries a rack I5 which meshes with a gear I! fastened on shaft 9. On the end of shaft 9 projecting from gear 8 is fastened one member 20 of a jaw clutch whose other member 22 is slidably mounted on shaft 9 and urged away from driving position by the compression spring 24. The member 22 is provided with a knurled knob 25 which may be grasped to push the member 22 into engagement with member 20 and then turned to rotate shaft 9 and advance pushers 5- and I3. A spring pawl 26 fastened to table l2 engages a pinion 21 fastened on shaft 9, and when the shaft 9 is turned sufiiciently to advance the next tooth on pinion 21 into engagement with pawl 26, the pushers 5 and [3 advance the cards I and 3 a distance equivalent to the space between the centers of successive columns of numerals on the cards. Thus the cards I and 3 will be simultaneously advanced to present successive rows of numerals on cards I and 3 for sensing and punching.

Whenever a pencil mark on one of the rows of numerals on card I is advanced' underone of the sensing condensers 28, 30 and 32, a punch will be actuated to punch a hole in a corresponding part of card 3, by mechanism hereinafter described. Each of the condensers 30- and 32 is mounted in a metal support bar 34 extending I at.

3 above the path of card i, and may be similar to condenser 28 which is also supported in bar 3d and whose detailed construction is shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 3, the sensing condenser 28 consists of an annular shield 36 mounted within an annular pick-up electrode 38 and insulated therefrom by insulator ring 40 formed of suitable insulating material such as hard rubber. The electrode 38 is insulated from bar 34 by another ring M. An output electrode 44 is positioned within the shield 36 and insulated therefrom by a ring of insulating material 55, and connected by a shielded conductor or cable 46 to an oscillator circuit enclosed in the box 48 (Fig. 1). The electrode 38 is connected by a shielded conductor or cable 56 to a resonator consisting of a coil 4G3 and its tuning condenser (Fig. enclosed in the box 52 (Fig. l), and the coil 403 being coupled to an amplifier circuit connected to a relay 96, the amplifier circuit and relay being also enclosed in box 52. The connections to and functions of electrodes 38 and 414 may be interchanged without any change in principle of operation.

The output electrode 55 of condenser 3t is mounted within the annular shield 55 and insulated therefrom in the same manner as in condenser 28, and the output electrode 56 of condenser 32 is mounted within the annular shield 57 and similarly insulated therefrom. Electrodes 54 and 56 are respectively connected by the shielded conductors 5B and so, to the conductor The pick-up electrodes 62 and 64 of condensers 36 and 32 respectively, which correspond to the electrode 38 of condenser 28, are connected by the shielded conductors 56 and 68 respectively, to separate resonators coupled to amplifiers connected to relays, the resonators, amplifiers and relays being enclosed in the boxes 52a and 52b. The shield 36 and the shields 55 and iii are connected to bar 34 by leads l5, l1 and '78, respectively, and bar 34 is grounded at E3.

Whenever the knob 25 is thrust inwardly to engage the clutch member 22 with clutch member 28, a yoke 83 engaging an annular groove 84 in clutch member 22 and fastened on one end of a shaft 35 carried by a pedestal 86 attached to table i2, is swung inwardly to cause the arm 8'? on the other end of shaft 35 to release the trip pin 88 of the micro switch 89. The switch 89 is of well known construction, and when the pin 89 is released by the described movement of arm $1, the switch is capable of conducting electricity from the lead to, which is connected to one of its terminals 95, to the lead 93 which is connected to the other terminal 92 of switch 89. The lead St is connected to a suitable source of D. C. current indicated in Fig. 1 as a battery 9%. A lead 95 from the battery 95 is connected to one of the outlet terminals of the secondary circuit of a relay 96 (Fig. 5) whereby upon energization of the winding of the relay 96, when a pencil mark on the card I passes under any of the condensers 28, 39 or 32, the armature 91 of said relay will be attracted to the core of said relay and establish a circuit from lead 95 to the other outlet terminal of the secondary circuit, to which the lead at is connected. The lead $3 is also connected to one end of the coil of a, solenoid 98, which is mounted in a support bar NH (Fig. 4), and the lead 833 is connected to the other end of the solenoid coil whereby when the circuit is completed from lead 95 to lead 93 upon energization of the relay 96, the core we of solenoid 99 will be displaced downwardly. A punch [E22 fastened to the lower end of the core I00 is normally held in its upper position by the compression spring Hi l, and guided in a hole of a bar Hi5 which extends across the card 3. Thus when solenoid 59 is energized the punch H32 is depressed into the die Hi6 underlying the card 3 and a hole is punched in the latter through a numeral corresponding to the numeral bearing a pencil mark on card i, positioned under condenser 28.

The wires a and 9519 from lead 95 are similarly connected to relays (not shown) of amplifier circuits enclosed in the boxes 52c and 52b respectively, said relays being similar to relay 96 described above and being connected by leads I07 and IE9, respectively, to the windings of solenoids Hi and H3, respectively, which may also be supported in bar lei. Wires 93a and 83b from lead 93 are connected to the windings of solenoids H! and H3, which are equipped with springs similar to spring we and engaging the heads of the cores H2 and EM, so that they may be energized to cause their respective punches H5 and ill to punch holes through numerals in card 3 corresponding to numerals on card I bearing pencil marks, when sensed by the condensers 3B and 32. Upon releasing the knob 25 the circuits established through the various solenoids will be broken, and the spring HM, and the springs on cores H2 and us will return the punches to their upper positions, so that the card 3 may be further advanced simultaneously with card i.

The oscillator circuit which will now be described, referring to the wiring diagram shown in Fig. 5, includes plug ltd, shown outside of the box $8 in Fig. 1, so that the circuit may be connected to A. C. current by inserting plug Mil into the outlet of an A. C. line. The plug M0 is connected to the primary coil or winding of a transformer Hi2 whose secondary coil M3 is connected to the plates or anodes of a full wave rectifier tube Hi l of any suitable type such as 5T4, and the cathode of the latter is connected to the secondary winding M5 of transformer M2. The primary .coil of the transformer is connected to a fixed condenser M? which is grounded at 48 to remove radio frequency currents and line noises. The output of the rectifier M4 is delivered through a center tap its from coil Hi5 through a filter consisting of a choke-coil Hi0 and a grounded condenser EM to a voltage divider I62, and also through an adjustable tap resistor I63 to the anode of a voltage regulator diode tube EM of any suitable type, such as VR/ 30. The voltage divider H82 includes a grounded resistor m5 and a resistor I56 receiving the output of the 'filter and is connected through a resistor [61 shunted across a milliammeter led to a coil I69 which is tuned by the variable condenser ll'fi connected across the ends of coil 69. The coil I69 is inductively coupled with a coil I'll, which is tuned by a variable condenser H2, and connected through a fixed condenser 513 to the shielded conductor or low loss cable 15-5 leading to the output electrode 3d. Coil N59 is connected to the plate lid of a triple-grid oscillator tube I75 of any suitable type, such as 6SJ7. The anode of tube its and the variable contact point of resistor I53 are connected to the screen grid 416 of the tube H5. The cathode 5'18 of tube H5 has a heater H9 which is connected to the secondary heater winding I80 of transformer I42. Cathode H3 is connected to the suppressor grid it. The current flowing from the plate I'Mto the cathode I78 is conducted by a tap I84 to a coil I85, which is grounded at I85 and tuned by the variable condenser I87, the coil I85 being connected through the grid leak I88 and a grid condenser I88a to the control grid I89 of tube I75. Condenser I76a connecting the screen grid I76 to ground I85 and condenser 174a connected from coil I69 to ground, respectively by-pass the R. F. currents to the screen grid and plate of tube I75.

The oscillator circuit shown is of the Hartley type and generates a high frequency current of about 175 kilocycles which is impressed upon the coil I59, thereby inducing a current of similar frequency in the coil ITI which is conducted to the electrode 44. The oscillator circuit may be tuned by adjusting the condensers I87, I72 and I70. The annular pick-up electrode 38 is shielded from the central output electrode 44 by the corn centric grounded shield 35. When a mark made by a soft graphite pencil on dry paper is brought into close proximity with the electrodes it increases the coupling between the output and pickup electrodes. The mark can be considered as a common plate of three condensers. The condenser formed by the mark and the output electrode 44 is connected in series with the condenser between the mark and the grounded shield 36 through the resistance of the linking part of the mark, and forms a voltage divider. The pick-up electrode 38 is coupled to the mid-point of this divider by the capacity between electrode 38 and the mark, and the resistance of the mark. If the distance between the mark and shield 36 is made greater than that between the mark and the electrodes, a greater proportion of the oscillator output is coupled to the pick-up electrode, but the residual coupling between the electrodes, without a mark in front is also increased. The best condition for the greatest change in coupling (which is the desired objective) depends somewhat on the proximity and conductivity of the mark, but it was found that the best average results were obtained with the faces of electrodes and shield approximately flush.

The pick-up electrode 38 is connected to a resonant circuit, consisting of a coil 403 and parallel tuning condenser, through shielded cable 50 and condenser 45! of relatively large capacity. The resonant circuit is tuned to the frequency of the oscihator in order to give it maximum impedance, so that a small change in coupling between the electrodes will cause the greatest possible change in impressed voltage across coil 403.

The coil 453 is part of the amplifier unit which is enclosed in case 52. This unit contains a power rectifier, a two-stage R. F. amplifier, diode detector, and two-stage D, C. amplifier connected to a relay. The power rectifier is of conventional design, consisting of a transformer TI having a primary winding 455 and secondary winding 453 rounded at 454 and connected to the anodes 45I of a full-Wave rectifier tube 459. The primary 455 is connected to condensers 459 and ground 457 and to a plug 455 shown outside of case 52 in Fig. 1. The cathode 457 of tube 459 is connected to a secondary Winding 453 of transformer T and the output delivered by the center tap 451 is filtered by swinging choke 443 and condenser 445 connected to ground 447. Transformer T also has a secondary 550 which is connected to the heaters of the cathodes of the various tubes. Voltage regulatin tube 435 is connected to an adjustable tap on resistor 44! and shunted by a small condenser 429a to by-pass R. F. currents. Resistor 44! is connected to ground 437.

The two-stage R. F. amplifier is also of conventional design. The coil 403 is the primary winding of a tuned R. F. transformer T2, the sec ondary winding 405 of which is connected to the control grid 407 of the first R. F, amplifier tube 409, which may be a triple grid tube lik type 6SK7, and also through condenser 47 to the cathode 470 which is connected to suppressor grid 42I. The first stage is coupled to the second by another tuned R. F. transformer T3 having a tuned primary winding 4| 3 connected to the plate 4 of tube 459 and a tuned secondary winding 4I5 connected to the control grid 4I7 of a tube 4 I 9 similar to tube 409. The second stage is similar to the first, and the cathode 475 of tube 419 is connected to the suppressor grid 423. Both stages are self-biased and the amount of bias of both is controlled by one cathode rheostat 473 which is connected to ground 474 and resistors 472 and 480. This amount of bias in turn determines the amount of amplification. The screen grids 482 and 484 of the two tubes 409 and 459 are supplied from the V. R. tube 435 through wire 433 and sep arate filters 425-427 and 429-43I. The plates 4H and 486 are supplied from the full output of the power rectifier through wire 458 and separate R. C. filters 492-493 and 495497.

A third tuned R. F. transformer T4, which consists of a tuned primary winding 43-35 and tuned secondary 499, follows the second R. F. stage and the output of this transformer is rectified by double diode 500 havin pairs of anodes 554 and cathodes 5M, and used as a half-Wave rectifier. The rectified output voltage appears across condenser 5I0 and leakage resistor 505 which are connected to ground 5i2. This voltage is filtered by a tuned coil 555 and condenser 503 to eliminate every trace of R. F. and the output is impressed on grid 5 I 5 of the first D. C. amplifier tube 5I8. The cathode return of the diode 550 and the leakage resistor 555 are connected to the movable contact of potentiometer 552 connected across the V. R. tube 435, to control the steady bias of tube 588. The potentiometer is connected to a ground 503 which is connected through a by-pass condenser to the cathodes of tube 559.

The plate of tube 5 I3 is supplied from the voltage regulator tube 435 through wires 433 and 429, resistor 524 and neon glow lamp 522. A milliammeter 520 is connected between the cathode of tube 5I3 and ground. Potentiometer 592 is adjusted so that, without any mark in front of the pick-up electrodes, the plate current of tube 5H3 is just sufilcient to maintain a steady glow of lamp 522.

When a pencil mark passes in front of the pick-up electrodes, the R. voltage across coil 403 increases. Consequently the D. C. voltage across condenser 508 increases, and its polarity is such that grid 555 becomes more negative. This reduces the plate current of tube 55 B and as this current wasonly barely suflicient to maintain a steady are in lamp 522, this lamp is now practically extinguished, the current through resistor 524 is sharply reduced and the grid of tube 525, connected to this resistor, becomes more positive. The tube 526 is connected across the upper part of voltage divider 44L Its plate is connected to wire 498 through the magnet coil of relay 55 by wires 530 and 532, shunted by a condenser Its cathode is connected to wire 429 through biasing resistor 528 also shunted by a condenser. The normal drop across resistor 524 is sufficient to block the plate current in tube 525 completely, but when. the. arc in lamp 522 is extinguished by the passage of a pencil mark in front of the pick-up electrodes the grid bias of tube 526 is suddenly reduced to the drop across resistor 528 and the plate current becomes suificient to energize relay 93 and close the contact from wire 95 to 98. Condenser 534 prevents too rapid a release of relay 96.

The resonator, the amplifier circuit and the relay circuit just described correspond to those enclosed in box 52, but it will be understood that those within boxes 52a and 521) are similar.

In the card-sorting apparatus shown in Fig, 6, a record card 299 bears rows of numerals, any one of which may be marked with a pencil, is advanced sidewise by a pusher 292 along a table 29 3, which may be formed of non-conductive material such as wood, under a sensing condenser 238 slidably mounted in a slot 298 of a metal bar 2 I 9 extending across the table. The pusher 292 may be operated by mechanism similar to that shown in Fig. 1 for operating the pusher thereof. The condenser 2% has a base 2H2 slidably mounted on bar 2I9 and provided with flanges which project downwardly at the sides of bar 2H), and one of said flanges is provided with a pointer 2M for indicatin the particular row of numerals over which the condenser is positioned. The construction of the condenser 296 is similar to that of the condenser shown in Fig. 3, and its outer electrode 2 I5 is similarly insulated from base 2 l2 and from the shield HE. A shielded conductor 229 connects the electrode 222 mounted within the shield 2 I 3 and suitably insulated therefrom to the oscillator circuit which is similar to that shown in Fig. 5 and enclosed in the box 222. Thus when a pencil mark on any of the numerals of the particular row over which condenser 205 is positioned passes under the latter, an electrical impuls is transmitted to an amplifier circuit which thereupon energizes a card deflector to drop the advancing card into a card box, as hereinafter described. The electrode 2l5 is connected by the shielded conductor 229 to the contact maker 22? of th switch 228. A lead 239 connects the shield 2 l 6 to the base 259, which is formed of a conductive material such as metal and connected by a wire 232 to a ground 23d, thereby grounding the shield 2 l 6.

The terminals 236 of switch 228 are connected by shielded conductors 229a, 2287) and 249c to separate amplifier circuits enclosed in the boxes 222, 24211 and 222b, each of these amplifier circuits being similar to the amplifier circuit shown in Fig. 5.

Leads 245, 24! and 253 are connected to one of the outlet terminals of the secondary circuits of relays (not shown) whose primary circuits are connected in the amplifier circuits within boxes 242, 2821i and 2222), which are similar to the amplifier circuit shown in Fig. 5. The leads 243, 251 and 2 18 are also connected to one end of the windings of solenoids 253, 25! and 252. A suitable source of D. C. current such as the battery 254, is connected in parallel with the other outlet terminals of the relays of the separate amplifier circuits and to the other ends of the windings of the solenoids 259, 25!, and 252, the line 256 from the battery to the solenoids being preferably connected in series to a micro switch (not shown) similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2 and similarly controlled by mechanism operated from the shaft which controls the movement of pusher 292.

Thus upon moving the contact maker 221 to one of the terminals of switch 228 the corresponding solenoid 253, 25! or 252 will be energized if a pencil mark on card 299 is advanced underneath condenser 296, and the corresponding deflector 216 will be swung upwardly to permit the card 236 to drop into the desired box 218, as it is advanced by mechanism hereinafter described. Upon shift- 5 ing the condenser 296 along the bar 2m to overlie any desired column of numerals, any cards having pencil marks on any of the numerals in that column will be diverted to one of the boxes 218 as they are advanced by mechanism which will now be described. Normally the solenoid cores ar maintained in an ineffective position by their springs 258, 259 and 269, but when any solenoid is energized its core depresses the underlying finger 212 mounted on one of the shafts 2M and swings the card deflectors 216 mounted thereon into an upwardlyinclinedposition,so that the card may drop into the underlying card-box 278, each of which may be provided with a yieldingly mounted bottom 289. As the card 299 is advanced along the table 294 by pusher 232, it engages the driven rollers 282 which coact to advance the card across the first set of deflectors 275 to the sets of rollers 283 and 284 which advance the card across the remaining card deflectors. The rollers 283 are loosely mounted on shafts 214 and rollers 284 are carried by the driven shafts 285. Further description of the details of the card-sorting apparatus isdeemed unnecessary, as reference may be had to the patent to W. W. Lasker, No. 1,315,370, issued September 9, 1919, for the details thereof. However, each of the shafts 274 may be provided with a finger 281 engaging a spring-pressed pivoted latch 289. When a defiector is tilted upwardly the corresponding latch 289 engages behind the finger 287 and maintains the deflector in its upwardly tilted card-diverting position until the slide-bar 291 is manually displaced rearwardly, after the corresponding solenoid is deenergized, to swin the latch downwardly to permit the finger to return to initial position above the latch.

Referring to Fig. 7, wherein the invention is illustrated conjunction with an accounting or tabulating machine of the type shown in Patent 2,291,970, issued August 4, 1942, to H. Neumann- Lezius, the printing unit is one of a plurality of parallel units, each of which includes a type carrier 39! slidably carrying successive types 392 for printing numerical, alphabetical and other desired indications. Each type carrier is rockably mounted on a shaft 393 and provided with a rear arm 394 urged by a spring 395 against a bail 3% carried by arms 39? which are also rockably mounted on shaft 333. Rigid with one of the arms 39! is a gear 398 meshed with a sector 399 following a cam groove 399' in a cam wheel 3"). The cam wheel makes one revolution each machine or card cycle and during the greater part of this cycle, the cam groove 399' rocks sector 0 329 counterclockwise while during the remainder of the cycle, the sector 399 is restored in a clockwise direction. During the counterclockwise or forward stroke of sector 399, it rocks bail 396- clockwise which, through spring 395, advances the type sector impositively in the same direction throughout its type-selecting range. The advance of the type carrier is selectively arrested at a differential point of the type-selecting range under control of an indication on the record card, 7 in a manner which will be explained later. When arrested at the selected point of its range, the carrier is positioned with the type corresponding to the indication at a printing position in which the back of the type is opposite the nose of a hammer 3E3. The hammer has a lug 3 l 2 engaged by a bar 3 which is rocked out of the way of the lug during the portion of the cycle in which cam groove 3% permits sector 39 to idle before starting its return stroke. As the bar 3! I releases lug 312, a spring 314 drives the hammer against the selected type to cause the type to print, through an ink ribbon 3H5, on a sheet carried and fed by the platen roll 3l5 in a known manner. As also known in the art, hammers 353 of those type carriers which have not been set for a type selection during the cycle are prevented from needlessly operating by engagement of lugs 3!? of the type carriers with projections 313 of the hammers. Restoration of the hammers is effected in a suitable known manner.

Associated with each type segment Sci is an arm 319 having twelve teeth 323 marked 9 to 0, and 12. ihe record card TC has twelve index positions 9 to 0, 11 and 12 which pass the sensing means in synchronism with the travel of the correspondingly designated teeth 3253 past the nose 325 of a pawl 32!. For convenience, the pawl 3% and the teeth 32? may be considered as the primary stop contrivance for the type carrier of which the coacting parts move with respect to each other in synchron sm with the passage of successive index positions of the card through the sensing means. She sensing means comprises condensers C similar to the condenser shown in Fig. 3 and similarly connected to oscillator and amplifier c rcuits (not shown). One condenser is provided for each column. The index positions 9, 8, 7 1, 0, 11, and 12, pass in order, through the sensing means and when a condenser detects a pencil mark on a numeral in an index position, a circuit is momentarily closed through a solenoid 32S. Separate solenoids 328 are connected to the secondary contacts of relay-s connected in the amplifier circuit of each condenser C, so that each solenoid 329 will be energized upon detection of a pencil mark in its corresponding column. One card is acted on each cycle and its index positions 9, 8, '7 1, 0, 11, and 12 pass in order through the sensing means in synchronism with the travel of the corresponding teeth 323 past the nose 325 of pawl 32!. The actuating me ns for the type carrier idles after the last or 12 index position passes the sensing brush SB and during this idl ng period, the printing operation occurs. following which the type carrier is restored. A single pencil mark in index position of a card column may be employed. as is customary, to designate digit while combinations of penc l marks in a column may be used to represent a phabetic characters, punctuation marks, and other desired symbols. The present invention permits the use of a pair of pencil marks in any two index positions of a card column to represent character or sign. Thus, a 9 pencil mark may be combined with any other pencil mark in the column to represent, in codal form, a desired indication. Merely by way of example, it is preferred in the present instance to represent the various indications by pairing a pencil mark in one of the index positions 9 to 4 of a column with a pencil mark in one of the positions 3. 2. l, i), 11 and 12 of the column. It is to be understood, however, that wher a greater number of indications are to be designated, the index positions may be paired in all possible combinations. As the card passes the means, one or more pencil marks in a column are sensed to cause energization of solenoid The single or repeat energization of the solenoid during a cycle causes the advance of the type carrier to be arrested, with the type corresponding to the sensed indication at printing position. The first energization of the solenoid results in the parts 320 and 32! of the primary stop contrivance engaging each other to efiect a primary interruption in the advance of the type carrier, at which point the typ which may be designated by the first perforation will be in printing position. The second or repeat energization of the solenoid acts through a, secondary stop contrivance, comprising parts 335 and 335, to stop a supplementary advance of the type carrier, at the end of which the type for printing the indication represented by a pair of pencil marks in a column is at the printing position.

The manner in which the stop contrivances are operated will now be explained in detail. Pawl 321 is in the form of a bell crank lever pivoted on a stud 322 carried by a slide 323. There is one slide 323 for each of the parallel printing units and a guide block 324 with suitable ways is provided for slidably mounting the slides. The lower arm of each pawl 32l is formed as an inclined nose 328, the abrupt side of which is initially engaged by the upper leg of the T- shaped nose of a latch lever 321. lhe latch lever is maintained by a spring 323 in engagement with a projection of a lever 33! which is connected by a linkage 330 to the plunger 3255' of solenoid 329. Upon detection by a condenser of the first pencil mark in a card column, solehold 329 is energized for the first time during the card cycle to cause lever 33l to rock clockwise. This, in turn causes counterclockwise movement of the latch lever 32?, withdrawing the upper leg of its T-shaped nose from the nose 326 of pawl 32l and placing the lower leg of the T-shaped nose in front of a projection 333. The release of pawl 32| permits a spring 332 to rock the nose 325 upwardly to engage that one of the teeth 323 which corresponds to the sensed index position and which is then immediately to the right of the nose 325. The engagement of this tooth with the pawl nose 325 couples the pawl and its carrying slide 323 to the type carrier for common advance therewith. However, as the lower leg of the T-shaped nose of lever 32'! now is in front of the projection 333 of the slide, it stops the slide and, thereby, the coupled type carrier, after the slide has moved just far enough to bring the lower nose 326 of pawl 32! ahead of the T-shaped nose of lever 321. When sensing is completed. solenoid 329 is deenergized. causing latch lever 32'! to return clockwise and bring the upper leg of its T-shaped nose in front of a second projection 334 of the slide 323, thereby stopping advance of the slide and the coupled type carrier in a primary position corresponding to the first sensed pencil mark of the card column. Such pencil mark may be the only one in the column and may designate a desired indication, in which event, the type carrier will have been arrested with the type for printing this indication located at the printing position.

Assuming that a second pencil mark occurs in the card column, the sensing of this perforation causes a repeat energization of solenoid 329, which results in the lowering and withdrawal of the upper leg of the T-shaped nose of lever 32? from'projection 334 of slide 323. This frees the slide and type carrier for common movement during which the type carrier performs a supplementary advance. The extent of this supplementary advance is determined by the coaction of the parts 335 and 336 of the secondary contrivance. The second pencil mark in a card column cannot occur in the 9 index position which is the first one encountering the sensing means. Thus, theoretically, there may be one step 335 for each of the index positions 8, '7 0, 11, and 12. However, for the present example, it has been assumed that the second pencil mark is to occur only at one of the index positions, 3, 2, 1, 0, 11, and 12; hence, one step 335 is shown for each of these index positions. The steps are progressively distant from the nose of stop 336, and the stop is moved progressively upward into the path of the successive steps 3, 2, 1, 0, 11, and 12 in synchronism with the passage of the corresponding index positions 3, 2, 1, 0, 11 and 12 through the sensing means. Thus, if the second pencil mark is sensed in one of the latter index positions, the repeat operation of latch lever 32! releases the slide 323 for. advance at the time the nose of stop 336 is in front of the corresponding step 335. The stop is engaged by this selected step to interrupt advance of the slide, and, thereby, to arrest the supplementary advance of the coupled type carrier at a point of its type selecting range at which the type, corresponding to the indication denoted by the pair of sensed pencil marks in the card column, is located at the printing position. Thus, different combinations of primary and secondary advances of the type carrier are provided to effect selection of types for printing.

The stop 336 is slidably mounted in a socket in the free end of the pivoted arm 338 and surrounded by a spring 335 which urges the stop to maintain normal upper position on the arm until arrested by the bottom of a step 335, after which the arm 338 may continue to move while the stop remains stationary. Arm 338 has a follower roller 343 riding in a cam groove 34! of the cam wheel 3H3. In the present example, the cam groove is shaped to allow arm 333 to remain idle while the index positions 9 to 4 are passing the analyzing means. The cam groove then progressively raises arm 338 in front of the successive steps 335 in synchronism with the passage of index positions 3, 2, 1, O, 11 and 12 through the sensing means. The sensing of the second pencil mark in one of these index positions releases the slide for advance with the type carrier until arrested by engagement of stop 336 with the step 335 then in front of the stop and corresponding to the second pencil mark position. The stop then remains at rest while cam groove 34! continues to raise arm 338 until the 12 index position of the card passes the sensing means. The arm 338 then idles while the printing operation occurs, after which the arm is restored, together with the stop 333, by the cam groove 34!.

After the printing operation, sector 309 is restored by cam groove 339', causing restoration of the pr nting unit. As the unit returns, teeth 32!! ratchet past nose 325 of pawl 32I and, finally, a lug 331 of the arm 3l9 engages the front, inclined edge of the nose 325 and cams the pawl 32! counterclockwise into normal release position until the front face of the lug and the confronting edge of the pawl nose are in flush engagement. Thereafter, the return travel of the type sector is communicated, through lug 33'! and pawl nose 325, to slide 323, As the slide completes its return travel, noses 334 and 333 thereof and nose 323 of pawl 32! successively cam past the nose of latch lever 321 which, at the end of the return stroke of the printing unit is in normal engaged position with respect to the nose 323 of 12 the pawl 32f, thereby holding slide 333 in initial position.

It is noted that one of the main advantages and objects of the invention is to perform tabulating operations direct from original pencilled or otherwise marked data on the cards, thus elimmatin hand or automatically controlled punching, or both. It is noted that since the present device, unlike contacting brushes, senses the marks without physical contact an wear on the same, the same marl: may be run past the sensing devices over and over again without loss of substance and distinctness.

In the foregoing disclosure, the mechanisms illustrated and described should he understood as being or purposes of illustration of the invention, and the invention therefore should not be restricted to the details shown and described. For example, in Fig. 1 of the drawings three sensing devices are shown for purposes of simplicity. It is, of course, understood that there can be provided, and in the normal course of events would be provided, one sensing device for each row of figures, that is ten sensing devices for the card illustrated, though under some circumstances this number might not be necessary. Likewise in the form illustrated in Fig. 6;. instead of picking out cards having a number marked in one row, it can be understood that a sensing condenser might be required. for each row of figures, and similarly one switching device and pocket might be provided for each figure from 0 to 39.!

The terms and illustrations which I have employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation and I have no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described, but recognize that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention claimed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a record controlled apparatus, the combination with a condenser having a pair of electrodes whose capacitative coupling is varied by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, of a circuit connected to one of said electrodes, means for impressing a high frequency electric current on said circuit whereby the capacitative coupling of said electrodes is increased by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, an amplifier unit connected to the other of said electrodes and responsive to a variation in the capacitative coupling of said electrodes created by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, and an electrically operated control device connected to the said amplifier unit and adapted to be operated when said amplifier unit responds to a variation in the capacitative coupling of said electrodes created by proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, said condenser electrodes having a cylindrical shape and being of different diameters and the smaller electrode being arranged within, the larger electrode.

2. In a record controlled apparatus, the combination with a condenser having a pair of electrodes whose capacitative coupling is varied by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, of a circuit connected to one of said electrodes, means for impressing a high frequency electric current on said circuit, an amplifier unit connected to the other of said electrodes and responsive to a variation in the capacitative coupling of said electrodes created by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, and an electrically operated control device connected to the said amplifier unit and adapted to be operated when said amplifier unit responds to a variation in the capacitative coupling of said electrodes created by proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, said condenser electrodes having a cylindrical shape and being of difierent diameters and the smaller electrode being arranged within the larger electrode, the ends of said electrodes which are adjacent the pencil mark being flush with each other.

3. In a record controlled apparatus, the combination with a condenser having a pair of electrodes whose capacitative coupling is varied by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, of a circuit connected to one of said electrodes, means for impressing a high frequency electric current on said circuit, an amplifier unit connected to the other of said electrodes and responsive to a variation in the capacitative coupling of said electrodes created by the proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, and an electrically operated control device connected to the said amplifier unit and adapted to be operated when said amplifier unit responds to a variation in the capacitative coupling of said electrodes created by proximity of a graphite pencil mark on a record, said condenser electrodes having a cylindrical shape and being of different diameters and the smaller electrode being arranged within 14 the larger electrode, the ends of said electrodes which are adjacent the pencil mark being flush with each other, and a grounded shield interposed between said electrodes, the end of said shield which is adjacent the pencil mark being flush with the adjoining ends of the electrodes.

JOHN W. HOOPER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,985,035 Kermode et al Dec. 18, 1934 2,357,860 Whitaker Sept. 12, 1944 1,741,992 Kleckler Dec. 31, 1929 2,123,812 Stevens et a1 July 12, 1938 2,285,152 Firestone June 2, 1942 2,254,932 Bryce Sept. 2, 1941 1,855,569 Chireix Apr. 26, 1932 1,905,332 Barbulesco Apr.25, 1933 1,962,732 Bryce et a1 June 12, 1934 2,294,681 Moon Sept. 1, 1942 2,294,751 Harrison et a1 Sept. 1, 1942 1,982,216 Lowkrantz Nov. 2'7, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 210,291 Swiss Sept. 16, 1940 

